Jimmy Lai's lawyers ask for extra time over plea

Lai, along with 23 other defendants appeared at the West Kowloon Court on Friday for a mention hearing over the unauthorised assembly in Victoria Park last year, reports the South China Morning Post newspaper. 

While the lawyers for Lai and 19 defendants, who face a total of 32 charges, including organising or taking part in an unauthorised assembly, asked for extra time, Joshua Wong, a prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist, and four others decided to plead guilty for participating in the banned June 4, 2020, vigil. 

Due to their guilty plea, the five defendants, who each face a count of knowingly taking part in an unauthorised assembly, might face five years in jail. 

Their case has been adjourned to April 30 and as for Lai and the others, their case was adjourned to June 11, reports Xinhua news agency. 

Apart from the 24 suspects, Nathan Law and Sunny Cheung, who have absconded, were also involved in the cases. 

The court has issued arrest warrants to them. 

Lai has become the most high-profile person to be charged under the national security law, which was enacted on the city by China on June 30, 2020, to ban acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.